Imphal, Aug 27: Lest we forget : The Sangai Express comes to the readers with the third part of the story of tears and hearkbreaks of the family members whose kins passed away in the terror attack at ISKCON Mani Mandir on Aug

"My life will be haunted till the immortal soul departs from my shrivelled body by the nightmarish experience of Janmasthami Day at ISKCON", wept Nganbi, grand mother of master Wangkhem Anil (8), the youngest victim of the terror attack at ISKCON on August 16."The pure soul of Anil was what the Almighty wanted not the three rupee coins which he brought to offer to Lord Krishna" were the words the aged grand mother said to console herself while recalling of the three rupee coins that slipped through the little fingers of her grand son when she lifted his lifeless body moments after the terror attack.


The cynosure of his family : W Anil

Anil, the only boy among the four siblings born to W Naba and Bijaya of Sangaiprou Mamang Leikai was the cynosure of the whole family, always playful and energetic.

The grand dream of Naba to make his son a noted artiste of Manipuri traditional art form pung cholom was shattered to pieces when Anil was suddenly snatched away from the hands of his grand mother just at the beginning of his life.

With the death of his only son, the poor father who is a cultivator is left disillusioned and is today a broken man since the cruel hand of man made disaster struck.

"As if urged by an inner voice, the kindergarten student was so restless to join his sisters at the ISKCON Janmasthami celebration that he repeatedly urged his grandmother to take him there," Nganbi rued.

Though reluctant she was, the old grand mother did not have the heart to disappoint the longing of her loving grand son.

When she asked him to dress up, he was so overjoyed that he even washed the dishes left undone by his sisters.

Before the grand mother and grand son left for the temple, Anil was given three one rupee coins asking to offer to Lord Krishna.

The young boy, understanding as he was of his parents' poverty, left his slippers at the verandah saying that it would be lost at the temple, recounted Nganbi with tears welling up in her eyes.

As fate willed, they proceeded towards the makeshift mandap where a Ras Lila rendition was under-way to wait for some time as the shrine of Lord Krishna was over crowded at the moment.

It was only after a few minutes that the explosion rocked the mandap followed by screaming and wailing all around.

The next moment, the grand mother found her sweet grand son in a pool of blood, Nganbi recalled the cruel moment.

When she raised the lifeless body the three rupee coins given by his mother to offer to Lord Krishna slipped through the little fingers, Nganbi narrated with a heavy heart while blasting the attack as inhuman, unpardonable and blatant act of terrorism.

The crest fallen mother said, "I was terribly shocked to hear that my son was killed in the terror attack".

"What wrongs were committed by the innocent devotees?", she questioned.

Infuriated as she was, Bijaya said, "I want to know those demons with human faces.

"My heart burns to see them punished before my own eyes", cried the father forsaken by destiny.

He said that the ex-gratia amount of Rs one lakh given by the State Government would be fix deposited at a bank and the cumulative amount with interest would be donated for construction of memorials for all the five victims of the terror attack.

Naba further conveyed his gratitude to ISKCON authorities for the monetary assistance provided to conclude the last rites of his lost son.